OC Music Awards Announces Live Showcase Series Lineup

Assuming the Mayan's apocalyptic predictions are a little off, we'll all be around to catch the next round of OC Music Awards goodness next year, starting with their eight-week stint of annual live showcases to decide the winner of OC's best live band. Today, the OCMA's announced the lineups for each of the shows. The process for picking the bands came after month of submissions from bands all around the county--in the end, 35 were chosen.
The fun starts on Jan. 8 at Detroit Bar, where Fellow Bohemian, Alabaster Stones, Flying Sparks, Robert Jon & the Wreck and the Field Trip will perform on stage vie for your affections. All showcases are free and occur every Tuesday until the finale at the House of Blues Anaheim on Feb. 26. The venues range from ages and 18-and-over clubs to bars that are 21-and-over. See the full schedule after the jump.

Feb. 12: Breach the Summit, the Devious Means, Jeramiah Red, Standing Hawthorn and Midnight Hour will play Founder's Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

Feb. 19: Brother C & Sister J, Electro City, the Kettle Drivers, Time and Energy and Decode Radio perform in the upstairs room at the Yost Theater in Santa Ana.

Feb. 26: The five finalists from the showcases will perform at House of Blues Anaheim.

One important thing to note: Unlike previous series, when showcases were split into two categories (best live acoustic and best live band), this year all artists will compete for one title: best live band.

Each showcase will be hosted by a DJ from partner KROQ/106.7 FM, with artists judged by a small group of handpicked judges (including your faithful music editor), who will score on musicianship, originality, song composition, stage presence and crowd size. At the end of it all, the winner will receive a hefty prize, which we don't have any details on yet. In the past it's been everything from Recording time at Red Bull Studios to opening slots on the Vans Warped Tour. The winner will be publicly announced at the OC Music Awards on March 9 at the City National Grove of Anaheim. For more details on the showcases and the awards ceremony, visit their website.